It wasn't that long ago, around four weeks, that Dong Zhuo was revealed as the twelfth faction in Total War: Three Kingdoms. Four weeks later we're at the original release date of the game before it decided to break my heart and get delayed for a few months. Still building up to the game, we now get to see some gameplay with Dong Zhuo. We also get an overview that highlights a number of features within the game.

　　All is forgiven SEGA & Creative Assembly, I still love you.

　　The thing about Dong Zhuo, as anybody who has knowledge of the Three Kingdoms can tell you, is that he was the worst of the worst. A tyrant backed by the most fearsome warrior of the time: Lu Bu. As the above shows, there are only a select few who aren't actively at war with him, which is in fitting with is subjugation of the Han Empire following the downfall of the Yellow Turbans.

　　Fortunately, the game looks to be working the personality of the characters into the gameplay itself. Dong Zhuo has a faction specialisation of intimidation. Whether this is intimidating the people within your cities or intimidating and coercing other factions into deals that really don't work in their favour. That or you can just kill off a few people. What're a few severed heads if not window decoration?

　　Another thing highlighted is how great the game looks. This is the best looking Total War game so far, primarily thanks to the art-like quality of the map, but also the visual fidelity throughout. From the map, which I would gladly just look at, to the impressive detail of the battles, Total War: Three Kingdoms is already a game that will impress. Combine that fidelity with the sheer size of armies that could take the field and it has fantastic potential. The extra time gained from postponing the game will help to polish it perfectly, avoiding a launch similar to that of Rome 2.

　　Total War: Three Kingdoms is scheduled to release on the 23rd of May, yet another date - like the 25th of June for Judgement - I'm anxiously looking forward to. Now you've watched the full gameplay, here are the features of Dong Zhuo, rounded up into a nice small bite-sized video.